(Minghui.org) Mr. Li Yuanming’s family recently confirmed that he has been admitted to Gongzhuling Prison to serve a four-year term for practicing Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. The 50-year-old resident of Nongan County, Jilin Province, has been denied family visits on the grounds that he refuses to renounce Falun Gong.
Sun Chengmin, security director of Tianxing Village, and three officers from the Shaoguo Township Police Station, including Ji Pengfei and Zhao Xijun, went to Mr. Li’s home on February 28, 2023, and attempted to collect his saliva and take his photo. It’s not clear if Mr. Li complied.
After the officers left, Mr. Li hid at his neighbor’s home, but three other officers arrested him on March 3, 2023. According to those who witnessed his arrest, the officers kicked him down, held him on the ground face down, and handcuffed him behind his back. They then grabbed him by his legs and dragged him. His stomach rubbed against the ground and his pants almost fell off. They pulled up his pants and kept dragging him—all the way from his neighbor’s front yard to his front yard and to the main street behind his house, where they’d parked their cruiser. They took pictures of him, covered his face with his clothes, and shoved him into the cruiser.
Mr. Li’s father, who was present, attempted to stop the police, but a neighbor held him back. “The police have guns,” the neighbor said. According to an insider, many villagers were stunned by how brutally the police treated Mr. Li.
The police also raided Mr. Li’s home, confiscating his Falun Gong books, laptop, printer, and a Falun Gong banner he’d used at a practice site before the persecution started. Tens of thousands of yuan in cash he had stored in a bag at home also disappeared. His father only saw an empty money bag on the ground.
The police kept Mr. Li’s family in the dark about his situation. The family only confirmed recently that he had been sentenced and transferred from the Nongan Detention Center to Gongzhuling Prison. But they still don’t know anything about his indictment, trial, or sentencing.
A Quarter Century of Persecution
While Mr. Li was studying at Jilin Agricultural Mechanization College, doctors found a tumor on his pituitary gland. He had surgery but continued to suffer with excessive tearing, a stomach condition, and pain in his neck and lower back. During the time he was at home recovering, he was introduced to Falun Gong in February 1996. In less than six months after taking up the practice, he fully recovered.
After the persecution began three years later, Mr. Li and his family never had a single day of peace. The police and village officials kept harassing him and his family. In addition to multiple detentions, he also served two labor camp terms. His wife, Ms. Lyu Ziwei, also a Falun Gong practitioner, served two labor camp terms as well. She was subjected to electric shocks and brainwashing while in custody. The guards also forced her to do hard labor without pay.
Mr. Li’s mother was so distressed at having to witness the couple being persecuted and the family harassed that her health declined. She had her gallbladder removed and passed away shortly after.
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